Energy and Environment

Alex is determined to fight the existential threat of climate change. Having grown up in a low-income, heavily polluted neighborhood, he is dedicated to ensuring that every family has access to clean air and clean water. He served for six years as Chair of the California State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications, where he led the development of California’s ambitious renewable energy and climate policies that now serve as a model for the rest of the country. Alex’s environmental leadership has continued in the U.S. Senate. In addition to cosponsoring the Green New Deal, Alex introduced sweeping legislation to electrify our nation’s school buses and protect over one million acres of public lands in California, increasing access to nature and preserving California’s natural treasures for generations to come.

Alex understands the threat that increasingly frequent and catastrophic natural disasters and extreme weather events pose to California and the Western United States. That’s why he fought to secure millions of dollars in federal funding for flood control infrastructure to protect communities from catastrophic floods and rising sea levels. His bill the POWER ON Act was signed into law by President Biden to prevent utility outages caused by natural disasters like wildfires and other extreme weather events. And while California continues to face the threat of devastating wildfires, Alex led the successful passage of the FIRE Act, to modernize the way FEMA prepares for and responds to wildfires.

Recent News

California Lawmakers: This Administration “is focused on vindictive, destructive actions that will keep us dependent on innovations and expertise from foreign competitors and further raise costs for American families.” WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both...
One of the most significant steps forward in federal wildfire policy in recent decades streamlines processes to protect communities while restoring forest health WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Tim Sheehy...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) blasted the Department of Energy’s (DOE) cancellation of all $1.2 billion Padilla secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for California’s Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES)...
California Lawmakers: This Administration “is focused on vindictive, destructive actions that will keep us dependent on innovations and expertise from foreign competitors and further raise costs for American families.” WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both...
One of the most significant steps forward in federal wildfire policy in recent decades streamlines processes to protect communities while restoring forest health WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Tim Sheehy...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) blasted the Department of Energy’s (DOE) cancellation of all $1.2 billion Padilla secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for California’s Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES)...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Wildfire Caucus, announced bipartisan legislation to help permanently conserve forestlands and mitigate increasing wildfire risks. Representatives John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08) and Ken Calvert...
“This proposed action represents an abdication of EPA’s duty, a violation of Supreme Court precedent and Congressional directive, and a blatant failure to protect the American people,” wrote all 47 Democratic Senators WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.),...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, spoke on the Senate floor to outline the Trump Administration’s devastating cuts to clean energy projects across the country that...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), along with U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), led 26 lawmakers in a bipartisan letter demanding that Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and Education...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a Commissioner of the bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), and Todd Young (R-Ind.), Chairman of the NSCEB, introduced a bipartisan package of six bills focused on protecting America’s...
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is proposing to disapprove of California’s Heavy-Duty (HD) Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Requirements for vehicles registered out-of-state, effectively ceding more...
All Aboard Act dedicates $200 billion over five years to build transportation system of the future WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.-17) in introducing the All Aboard...